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A Changed Heart: A Novel
A Changed Heart: A Novel

Chapter VII

Cover illustration for A Changed Heart: A Novel
Context Illustration Reading 1/73 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
TOO MANY IRONS IN THE FIRE.
Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.
Another, not quite so terrible to society, was that of early rising.
The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.
Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Changed Heart: A Novel

Chapter VII

Reading 1/73 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
TOO MANY IRONS IN THE FIRE.
Line 2
Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.
Line 3
Another, not quite so terrible to society, was that of early rising.
Line 4
The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.
Line 5
Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Among preposition US /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading “Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.”

Another noun US /ˈanother/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “Another, not quite so terrible to society, was that of early rising.”

Either determiner US /ˈiːðər/

one or the other of two

From this reading “The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.”

Gentleman noun US /ˈgentleman/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.”

Morning noun US /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.”

Next noun US /next/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.”

Quite noun US /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Another, not quite so terrible to society, was that of early rising.”

Sometimes noun US /sometimes/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.”

Terrible noun US /ˈterrible/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “Another, not quite so terrible to society, was that of early rising.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.”

Until preposition US /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading “Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.”

Whenever conjunction US /weˈnevər/

at any time that; every time that

From this reading “The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.”

All words in this reading · 82

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.

admirable

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.

always

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.

AnothernounUS /ˈanother/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading Another, not quite so terrible to society, was that of early rising.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

bed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.

Blake

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.

bright

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

busy

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

condescended

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.

early

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Another, not quite so terrible to society, was that of early rising.

eitherdeterminerUS /ˈiːðər/

one or the other of two

From this reading The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.

election

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

face

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.

fearful

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.

FIRE

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading TOO MANY IRONS IN THE FIRE.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.

four

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

gentlemannounUS /ˈgentleman/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.

half-past

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading TOO MANY IRONS IN THE FIRE.

IRONS

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading TOO MANY IRONS IN THE FIRE.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.

luminary

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.

MANY

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading TOO MANY IRONS IN THE FIRE.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

morningnounUS /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

Mr

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.

new

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

nextnounUS /next/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Another, not quite so terrible to society, was that of early rising.

o'clock

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.

office

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

often

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.

others

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.

penny

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

possessing

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.

prevented

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

quitenounUS /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Another, not quite so terrible to society, was that of early rising.

rising

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Another, not quite so terrible to society, was that of early rising.

saying

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.

seasons

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

show

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Another, not quite so terrible to society, was that of early rising.

society

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Another, not quite so terrible to society, was that of early rising.

sometimes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

Speckport

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

summer

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.

sun

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.

terriblenounUS /ˈterrible/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading Another, not quite so terrible to society, was that of early rising.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Another, not quite so terrible to society, was that of early rising.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading TOO MANY IRONS IN THE FIRE.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.

times

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Another, not quite so terrible to society, was that of early rising.

TOO

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading TOO MANY IRONS IN THE FIRE.

two

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

up

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Val might be up until two o'clock in the office, as he sometimes was in busy seasons, such as election times, but that never prevented his rising at half-past four the next morning, as bright as a new penny.

Val

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.

very

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.

virtues

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.

wasn't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.

wheneverconjunctionUS /weˈnevər/

at any time that; every time that

From this reading The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.

winter

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sun, whenever that luminary condescended to show its face in Speckport, which wasn't so very often, never found him in bed, either winter or summer.

young

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mr. Val Blake was a young gentleman possessing a great many admirable virtues, among others the fearful one of always saying what he thought.